There are more than a billion overweight and obese people in the world. And almost as many organizations, products and services around the world that aims to eradicate such. One of the most prominent ways to eliminate the extra pounds is through surgery.
Surgery comes in several forms. The two most commonly taken advantage of are Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and LAP-BAND adjustable gastric banding. But there are also some cosmetic surgery that may result to some weight loss and a better looking shape.

Before considering surgery for weight loss, take note that surgeries are not everyone. There are some qualifications before anyone is considered for such. There are surgeries that check the medical history of the person, if there are certain conditions, they would need to estimate the risks involved. The current weight and body mass index are also considered. Men who are at least 100 pounds overweight, and 80 pounds overweight for women. Body mass should at least be around 50 for adults.

There are some ups and downs attached to it. Some benefits include: (1) weight loss; and (2) relatively good health. If your ultimate goal is weight loss, then this can be achieved through surgery. The second benefit is actually derived from the first. When you have worked out your obesity then some conditions like high blood pressure, type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes, high blood cholesterol, and sleep apnea will be avoided.

There are also risks and downsides from these surgeries, like (1) operation complications, (2) dumping syndrome and (3) excess skin after surgery. There are cases that patients may not react well with pre-operation procedures like anaesthesia. There may also be a chance, though small, of bleeding. Dumping syndrome post-surgery is caused by eating too much or too fast. This induces vomiting, dizziness and sweating. Excess skin after the surgery is common, almost expected. Then, you would need to undergo another procedure just to help you get rid of it. Some minor surgeries include facelift, brachioplasty, belt lipectomy and abdominoplasty. These are skin reduction procedures done to those that lose weight rapidly.

Another surgical question often posted is for women. After gastric bypass or gastric banding, are you capable of having healthy babies? Yes. Although, you would need to consult your doctors before you can consider having a baby.

After any surgery, whether it is gastric bypass or gastric banding, there is definitely a lifestyle change. Before considering such, make sure that you are emotionally and mentally ready for the change.

Many spas and salons offer a process called “body wrapping.”

This procedure claims to remove inches from the waist, thighs, hips or other parts of the body.

The process includes the use of special body wraps or clothing and can sometimes be used with special lotions or creams that are applied to the skin.

Customers are usually told that they can lose “inches” as opposed to pounds and that fat will melt away bringing about a loss of inches in about an hour. One of the claims is that wrapping will work because cellulite is “water logged fatty tissue.”

What overweight person wouldn’t love to find a product that will render them slim and trim while they sleep?

Unfortunately, many people think that body wrapping is a relatively “new” procedure and jump on the bandwagon quickly.

The truth is that the body wrapping craze has been around for some time.

Over two decades ago, government “watchdogs” reported:

“Who can blame the fretfully flabby for being lured by the promise of losing inches without doing anything more strenuous than popping a pill or wrapping up the offending flesh? Who can resist ads for body wraps that promise ‘to burn away fat even while you sleep,’ to ‘lose 4-6 inches the first day?”

What do these wraps consist of?

Some are plastic or rubber garments worn around the waist, some cover the waist, hips and thighs, and others cover nearly the entire body.

Some are to be worn while carrying out routine activities, others while exercising, and some while sleeping. One is inflated with air from a vacuum cleaner. Another uses an electric hair dryer to blow in warm air. Some are used after a cream, gel or lotion is applied or after the wrap is soaked in a solution.

The garments and wraps, with or without lotions and creams, say that they reduce body dimensions by removing fluids. Most medical experts agree that such treatment will cause a loss of inches and perhaps pounds due to profuse perspiration. But the reductions are temporary. The fluid is soon replaced by drinking or eating.

Remember, rapid and excessive fluid loss is potentially dangerous because it can bring on severe dehydration and can upset the balance of important electrolytes in the body. Reputable spas are aware of any potential hazards such as this, so do your homework and select a spa with a good reputation.
Some people have tried using “plastic wrap” as body wrap material. In fact, that was a very popular practice several decades ago.

Body wrapping has evolved since those days, becoming much more sophisticated. Prices for a body wrap range anywhere from $40 an hour up to as much as several thousand dollars at some of the upscale spas.

Some advertising claims that body wrapping will eliminate, or at the least reduce, cellulite but we’ll leave that up to you to determine. What we can tell you is that visiting a spa or salon for body wrapping may be a wonderfully rejuvenating experience, leaving you rested, relaxed and refreshed.

And who wouldn’t like to have a few hours being pampered and fussed over in a relaxing environment regardless if it helps the cellulite problem.

Some spas advertise herbal and other natural wraps. In fact, the methods and products applied are widely varied. Let’s explore some of the components that make up a good “wrap” experience.

Herbal wraps. Some of the higher end spas go so far as to grow their own “herbs” for use in their body wraps, but that isn’t necessary for a good body wrap experience. Herbs can be fresh, or dried and usually organically grown is best.

Each herb has a specific effect. Some increase circulation, another may soothe the skin and so on.

The herbs are steeped in very hot water (almost boiling) then special muslin sheets are soaked in the solution. It is these herb-infused sheets along with other insulating layers that wrap around the body.

How the treatments work is interesting. The goal is to create a condition not unlike your body when you have a fever. We all know that when we have a fever, our body eliminates toxins by sweating.

It’s the same principle with body wraps. The results vary. Some people report a very intense detoxification while for others it might be mild.

Methods of application and content vary as well. Seaweed, mud and salt are popular body wraps. Most often, the subject is wrapped from neck to toe with the arms set close to the sides of the body. This can be uncomfortable for someone who suffers from claustrophobia.

The easiest correction for this is to keep the arms free from the wrap. Most people who are claustrophobic find the works and that all they need to be able to feel free to remove themselves if they choose.

Whatever type of body wrap you select make certain that you feel comfortable with the spa and that a technician is always close at hand.

Care should be taken when selecting a salon or spa. Some things to consider:

How long have they been offering body wraps?
Do they have a licensed clinician whose sole purpose is massage and/or body wraps?
Where do their herbs and other contents come from?
Do they offer any special pricing for new clients?
Will they allow a tour of their facilities prior to purchase?
Have they had any unresolved complaints reported by the Better Business Bureau?
Do they have any package pricing for multiple visits?

Watch your local publications for coupon offers. This can be a good way to try out a service at a bargain.

Ask your friends if they have had a body wrapping experience and whether they enjoyed it and what kind of results did they experience. You may even want to check for “two for one” specials and try it out with a friend!

Whether the experience reduces your cellulite or not, if you follow the guidelines you are in for a pleasant experience. Who knows, you might just like it enough to include it in your long term personal care budget!

If you know someone that has been trying to lose weight and get into shape, you have probably heard words such as, “I just eat one meal a day to lose weight” or “I’m afraid if I eat, I’ll gain weight” but sadly, this misnomer is why so many people are in the “battle of the bulge”. People all over the world still believe that eating breakfast, or even three meals a day will cause them to gain weight. In truth, as long as they are eating the right types of foods and exercising, then three normal meals or six small meals a day will actually work better with their metabolism than eating the wrong quantities or not eating often enough.

With more than half of Americans over the age of 20 now being considered “overweight”, now more than ever, we need to understand how metabolism works in relation to losing weight. Why risk having a heart attack, a stroke, developing cancer, or diabetes when all you have to do is make a few minor changes and live a healthy life? First, a person’s metabolic rate is determined by the number and size of respiring cells that compromise the body’s tissue, and the intensity of the metabolism in these cells. These two factors combined are what makeup the physiological foundation of the amount of energy (calories) in which a body uses.

Keep in mind that energy cannot be created or destroyed, just changed. As we know, potential energy comes from the foods we eat. When talking about weight loss, there are three components of balanced energy, which include calorie intake, calories stored, and calories expended. The way it works is that if the amount of calories taken in equals the amount of calories being expended (burned), then there is balance and the body’s weight is stable.

On the other hand, if the balance becomes positive, caused by more food being eaten than is burned, energy is destroyed or in better terms, stored as body fat. It is important to remember that you can be eating a diet considered low-fat and still gain weight. The reason is that most dietary fat is stored while the body is burning carbohydrates and proteins for energy. The problem is the when a person gains weight, the increased level of fat becomes stored energy until the calorie balance is negative. For that to happen, the amount of calories burned needs to exceed the number of calories being consumed, no matter what the macronutrient content.

Metabolism is the rate at which the body uses energy to support the basic functions essential to sustain life. This metabolism is comprised of three parts, which include physical activity (20%), Thermic Effect of Food, also called TEF (10%), and Resting Metabolism Rate or REM (70%). Physical activity is the amount of energy your body burns up during normal, daily activities to include housework, recreation, work, exercise, and so on. Obviously, someone that is physically active will burn more energy than a sedentary person will. TEF accounts for the energy used in digesting and absorbing nutrients, which would vary depending on the meal’s composition. When a person overeats, TEF is increased because more food must be digested. Here is where metabolism becomes very interesting and what causes so much confusion.

One pound is equal to 3,500 calories, so let us say a person consumes 3,500 more calories than normal. That individual would not gain one pound because the TED is accounted for but if 3,500 calories were cut trying to lose weight, then TEF decreases since there would be fewer nutrients to process. The result is that with energy expenditure would decrease, meaning that the individual would lose less than one pound in weight. In other words, by cutting out too much food, TEF cannot work as it was designed to do. Now keep in mind that you cannot go around eating a bunch of junk food. After all, the calories you do consume need to be healthy foods but what this does mean is that when you do not eat, you are actually working against your body in fighting weight gain, not the other way around.

Finally, the RMR refers to the number of calories the body needs to run its essential functions, as well as chemical reactions while in a rested state. This aspect of metabolism accounts for the greatest number of calories burned every day. What happens is that if lean weight should be lost because of increased protein metabolism, then RMR decreases. Typically, you would see this happen when a person goes on a very strict diet. In this situation, the body is forced into a negative nitrogen balance, which means a greater amount of protein is lost than what is replaced because of less protein/energy intake. When this imbalance occurs, there is a gradual loss of lean weight, which then lowers RMR.

What happens many times is that dieters will limit the amount of lean weight loss with intense exercise for the muscles to develop a need to maintain more protein. When this happens, the body is forced to use more energy from stored fats. If you want to put your metabolism to work for you, some simple steps can be taken:

* By adding a few extra pounds of lean muscle, the metabolic rate can be increased by up to 200% each day * Remember that lean weight can burn as much as 20 times more calories than fat weight * Regular exercise is one of the best ways to boost metabolism * By eating smaller meals and more often, you can boost your metabolism rate

While you need to eat healthy foods, studies prove that what matters most is how much of a person’s body weight is attributed to fat. Remember, excess fat is what links to major health problems. Therefore, it is important that you maintain a healthy weight but more crucial that you monitor the fat-to-muscle ratio.

For example, a woman standing 5′5″ might weigh only 125 pounds but have a 27% body fat ratio, which is not good. This individual worked hard to diet, while staying involved with aerobics. However, much of what she lost was not fat, but muscle. Even though this weight would be considered ideal for her height, her body fat to muscle ratio is too high.

An excellent way to optimize your fat-to-muscle ratio is by getting involved with weight training in addition to the nutrition and cardio. As you will see with the tools provided at www.comptracker.com, you can analyze the thickness of the subcutaneous fat at various areas of the body. The benefit is that you know exactly what your ratios are so you can achieve a healthy fat-to-muscle ratio as well as body weight.

Remember, you are in control and need to make the decision to do something good for yourself. Therefore, now is the time to take that control and fight to live a lean and healthy lifestyle.